Orario's Rules of Survival

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Bell entered Orario alongside the transport convoy.

The convoy passed through smoothly, but Bell was stopped.

"Hold it."

Just as Bell was about to walk into Orario, a soldier standing guard with a long spear blocked his path. The man wore armor so heavy it looked thick at a glance, and the spear in his hand flashed with a silver gleam. The pressure rolling off him made every hair on Bell's body stand up.

Instinct alone told Bell how strong the guard in front of him was.

Even after gaining a great deal of experience and strength during the journey, Bell still felt that he could not resist this man.

After stopping Bell, the guard studied him carefully. The boy looked unfamiliar. At a glance, he was clearly a newcomer drawn here by Orario's reputation.

"New here?"

"Yeah."

Bell nodded honestly.

He was somewhat socially anxious. His inner thoughts might be extremely active, but when it came to actually speaking, he had a bit of a problem.

Looking at Bell, who seemed not just like a newcomer but almost worse than one, the guard shook his head inwardly. This boy probably would not live long in man-eating Orario.

The pressure around him eased.

"Come on. Take a test first. We need to confirm whether you have Falna."

You needed a test just to enter?

Bell had no idea there was such a process.

"It is a method to keep certain lunatics from pretending to be newcomers and sneaking into Orario."

Seeing Bell's confusion, the guard became even more certain this newcomer would not last long in the city.

Still, wealth, strength, influence, and women were all things that drew newcomers to Orario. Many of the people lured in would be eaten by this man-eating city, either by the monsters in the Dungeon or by the monsters hidden within Orario itself.

"Okay."

Bell nodded and did not refuse. He did not know exactly who the "lunatics" were, but taking the test could not hurt.

Of course, he also noticed the faint pity in the guard's eyes. Bell did not know why the guard pitied him, but it told him he needed to be even more careful. At the very least, he could not afford to be careless when dealing with people in this city.

The test itself was not complicated.

The guard led Bell into a small stone building at the gate. Inside was a clear green gem. That stone was probably the key to the test.

"Put your hand on it. If there is no problem, it turns green. If there is a problem, it turns red."

Bell said nothing. He quietly placed his hand on the gem.

Suddenly, he felt a warm current enter his body through his palm. It circled once inside him, then flowed back out through the same hand.

After the warmth withdrew, the gem turned green.

"No problem. You can go in."

After confirming Bell was fine, the guard did not keep holding him back. Orario did not welcome troublesome people, but it did welcome newcomers.

Even if most newcomers would probably die in this man-eating city.

Looking at Bell's innocent face, the guard could not help sighing inwardly. Children this age really did not fear death. His pity grew a little, and he could not resist offering a warning. His voice dropped as he spoke.

"Once you enter, go straight to the Guild. Do not casually trust what other people tell you. This city is not as beautiful as you think."

Bell froze for a moment.

Because of sympathy, the man had given him advice?

"Thank you."

Bell was not someone who rejected kindness. He could listen when another person meant well, so he thanked the guard in a low voice.

Then he pulled his hood lower, reduced his presence as much as possible, and slowly entered Orario.

The guard watched Bell move carefully into the city and smiled inwardly with a hint of irony.

'So the kid does know.'

A person's vigilance was easy to read at a glance. Lowering one's presence was one of the best ways to hide. Orario was a man-eating city, but it only ate people who had value. People with no value would not be eaten, because they were not even qualified to be prey.

Only then did the guard realize he had misjudged Bell. He shook his head and stopped paying attention.

'Anyone who knows how to hide himself has the qualifications to survive. That kid may live longer than I thought.'

After entering Orario, Bell observed his surroundings.

There were many vendors set up on both sides of the road. Most sold snacks and simple street food. Some sold pendants and similar trinkets. Perhaps a few of those pendants had special enchantments, but Bell's impression of them was ordinary.

There were also quite a few stalls selling weapons and armor. Many people stood nearby, staring at the goods. They were probably items without much fame but with decent quality.

Bell did not stop to look.

He knew his finances made it impossible to buy anything truly good. Considering he still needed money to live, he could not spend valis on something whose usefulness he could not even confirm.

Along the way, Bell did not pause. He walked directly toward the Guild.

There was no need to ask carefully for directions. As long as he could see Babel piercing into the sky, he knew where to go. The Guild was directly beneath Babel. If he aimed for the tower, he would find it.

Of course, Bell also felt many gazes on him as he walked. Amid the surrounding noise, his ears picked up some of the voices belonging to those gazes.

"A fresh rookie, huh? Looks like there is no money to squeeze out of him, though."

"Orario always attracts those unrealistic types. Not many of those rookies have any ability. If they did, they would make a name for themselves here soon enough."

"True. Still, becoming famous in Orario is not easy."

"So many newcomers enter Orario every year. How many do you think get eaten by this city?"

"Heh. A rookie like that is not even worth eating. Someone with no value is just trash. That kind of newcomer only becomes useful when he starts shining. Right now, he is nothing but garbage."

Bell did not care much about those words.

Only by being ordinary, by being someone with no value, could he develop in this city.

To survive in this man-eating city, what he needed was not something vague or complicated.

The condition was very simple and very pure.

Power.

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